At the end of life, we are met with many questions:

Did I leave a lasting legacy?  Did I accomplish all that I wanted to?  Did I accomplish all that God wanted me to?  Is it really my time?

What is next for me?

The good news for believers is that death is not the end!

The bitter news for non-believers is that death is not the end…

It is not too late on this side of the transition to be saved.  Heaven is within your reach.  The simple truth is that there is but one way to get there and that is through accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

It is crucial that we unveil the most common fallacy of our times: Believe in Jesus → Go to Heaven.  Stated mathematically: If A (I believe in Jesus), then B (I will go to Heaven).  The devil, himself, believes in Jesus.  We will NOT be seeing him in heaven.

This Belief Only Fallacy is dangerous and it costs people the ultimate price: their souls.

So, what is the answer?  Is salvation truly attainable? Is it a great mystery that everyone is just guessing at but unable to truly understand?  The glorious answer is that not only is salvation attainable, it is accessible to each of us here- in this very moment.  You don’t need a preacher, a special mix of words and verses, or a special date on the calendar to receive the free gift that awaits you at the foot of the cross.  All you need is to know and accept the truth of Jesus Christ. Trust Him with your life, believe in what He accomplished on the cross- the ultimate payment of our sins with His life; know Him, and let Him know you.

What is salvation?

Before answering this question, you must grasp the hard truth that life does not end. Ever.

Life is eternal.  The question is, where will you spend that eternity?  Due to sin, all of us are destined for a life separated from God. All of us.  That means that we will be unable to join our Heavenly Father after we leave this world.  Separation from God means darkness, agony, and being lost for eternity.  It means we will be stuck in a pit, a chasm, an endless hole with no means of escape.  It means hell.

If you do not want this future for yourself, you are not alone.  However, there is another steadfast truth that you must understand: you cannot make it to heaven on your own.  No man has ever made it to heaven by his good deeds, humble means, or pious life.  No man has ever been granted access to heaven because he gave all of his money to charity, or gave all of his time to helping the needy, or spent all of his time in isolation praying and meditating.  Our best intentions and strongest philanthropic efforts will never be enough to grant us access to be in the presence of our God.  Understanding these first truths will ultimately lead us to the ultimate truth: we need a bridge to God.  We need redemption.  We need a Savior.  We need Jesus.

Who is Jesus?

The first step of the accurate Salvation Equation is to understand who Jesus is.

Jesus is the Living Word, the Son of God, a member of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who was sent by God to the Earth for the salvation of us all.  He is God with Us, Immanuel.  He was there in the beginning of time [“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1] and will be for all time [“But Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently,” Hebrews 7:24].   He is fully God and fully man [“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:14].

Jesus was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit [“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,” Isaiah 7:14] and was sent, by the Father, for our salvation [“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved,” John 3:17].

Jesus laid down his life for our sins.  In John 10:11, Christ tells us, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  In John 10:18, Jesus reconfirms that he willingly laid his life down for us: “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”  The price of our sin was paid by the blood of Jesus Christ and, through His death on the cross, we are redeemed once and for all [“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 6:22-23].   Jesus died and rose again on the third day [For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4]. He was on earth for 40 days, then ascended to glory, sending the Holy Spirit to us for our guidance and correction [“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you,” John 14:26].

Jesus was now sits, in glory and majesty, interceding for us at the right hand of the Father in Heaven [“Who then is the one who condemns? No one.  Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us,” Romans 8:34].  He will return again and reign forever and ever [“‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven,'” Acts 1:11; “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen! ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,'” Revelation 1:7-8].  Amen.

Ultimately, we must know that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation.  In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

And so it is: the ultimate answer… Jesus. Once we understand WHO Jesus is, we must next believe in these truths.  We must know Him, and we must believe Him [“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” Ephesians 1:13].  These are the first two steps of the real Salvation Equation.  But in order to not get stuck in this first level of salvation (and, ultimately, be deceived by the Belief Only Fallacy), we must know the final steps of the equation.

We must not only know that Jesus is Christ.  We must not only know the scriptures.  Even the devil knew these two things [“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” James 2:19; see also: The Temptation of Christ in Matthew].  We must move beyond these two foundational pieces, knowing and accepting who Jesus is, and on to knowing and understanding who we are.  We are all sinners in need of a savior [“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23].  We are called to repent of these sins [“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” Acts 3:19] and stand up to be counted in the flock of the Lord.  We are predestined for sonship [“For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves,” Ephesians 1:4-6]!  We are loved by the Most High God.  When we understand our true place in the universe, and accept it, we are free to accept Christ’s ultimate gift of salvation through the cross, accept Him as the Master of our lives, and accept a relationship of love and trust with Him.  Only then can we have the ultimate blessed assurance that He is ours and that we are His.

Love and Obedience:  Does God Know You?

If we know and believe who Jesus is, and we know and believe who we are, then it only follows that we will want to do the will of our Lord and Savior.  It is by our actions, our fruits, that God knows that we are part of His flock.  John 3:36 (NASB) warns us that “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”  In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus tells us that “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Do not wait to find out if Jesus knows who you are.  Jesus clearly says that those who are saved are those who do the will of His Father.  That begs the final question: how do we know God’s will for our lives so that we can obey His will?

Read God’s Word!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Word of God will direct your path [“Thine Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” Psalm 119:105].

So, here is the concluding reality of salvation:

We must read the infallible, inerrant, incorruptible Word of God (the Bible) in order to understand who we are, who Jesus is, and what God’s will is for our lives.  Once we know and understand these things, we must gladly repent of our sins and follow God’s will for our lives, thus accepting our sonship and establishing an eternal relationship of love and trust with our Lord.

Are you ready for salvation? 

The time is right, right now, for salvation.  The beginning is easy.  Tell God that you are ready!  Confess with your mouth these things that we have discussed, and salvation is yours.

Unsure what to say?

There is no formulaic path towards salvation.  But, if you need a starting point, try saying the following with a humble heart and contrite spirit:

God, it’s me.  I am here with a humble heart and contrite spirit acknowledging that Your son, Jesus Christ, is THE only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life.   I acknowledge and accept who He is, and I acknowledge and accept who I am, through Christ Jesus.  I am a sinner in need of a Savior.  I confess my sins and repent of them now, in Jesus’ Holy Name.  I am ready to trust You with my life and accept now Your ways and Your will for my life.  Jesus, come into my heart, come into my mind and be in charge of my body.  I give my life and my soul to You now.  Live through me and claim me as Your own.  Know me, Jesus, and count me among your flock.  I thank you, now, for my salvation.  In Jesus’ Holy Name.  Amen!

Be free to add our own thoughts and your own words from your heart.  You do not need any fancy words to tell God that you are ready to surrender all to Him.  Just freely speak.  God loves you and is celebrating your homecoming today!

If you said a prayer of salvation today, we rejoice with you!  We are so glad to count you as our brother or sister!

Now…go and get the Word and start reading!  Find a sheepfold (a church) and start getting fed!

Need more information?  Need to know next steps?  Please click the “Contact Us” button and we will happily provide additional information for you.

We love you, God’s beloved child.  Welcome to the family.